Practical Strategies for Providing  
Special Needs Parent Support Groups
Rev. Dr. Lorna Bradley
Fellow, Hope and Healing Institute, Houston, Texas

Email: lbradley@hopeandhealingcenter.org
Website: SpecialNeedsParenting.me

Five Things Churches Can do for 
Special Needs Families
•	Congregational awareness
•	Inclusive ministries
•	Support resources
•	Respite opportunities for parents
•	Information sharing (conferences, resource fairs and workshops focused on special needs topics)

Perceived Needs Expressed by
Families with Special Needs
Source: Welcoming People with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families: a Practical Guide for Congregations 
By Courtney Taylor, Erik Carter, et al.
Why Do Families Need  Support?
•	Relieve isolation
•	Help process emotions
•	Receive theologically sound understanding of God and special needs
•	Respite / self-care opportunity
•	Increase personal and family resilience
•	Provide good pastoral care
Plan and Prepare: 
When and Where
•	Conversations with special needs parents
•	Choose a day and time: daytime, weeknight, Sunday school hour, Sunday night
•	Choose frequency: monthly, bi-weekly, weekly
•	Choose a location: church, home, coffee shop, video conference
•	Child care decision
Plan and Prepare: Choose a Format
•	Book study
•	Guest speakers
•	Devotion and conversation
•	Periodic social night out or retreat
•	Will group be opened or closed to new members?
•	Will group be ongoing?

Special Needs Parenting: from Coping to Thriving
•	Seven-week study written specifically for launching new small groups
•	Addresses common emotional and spiritual challenges of special needs parents
•	Includes practical strategies to increase resilience, chapter discussion questions, scripture and weekly prayer
•	Effective in increasing resilience and creating connections among members

Additional Authors
•	Kathleen Bolduc
•	Emily Colson
•	Jeff Davidson
•	Sandra Peoples
•	Jolene Philo

Invite, Invite, Invite!
•	Create awareness inside the congregation: articles, announcements, emails, website, social media networking
•	Create awareness outside the congregation: press release, social media networking, therapist offices, local schools for special needs, public school district, other non-profits (Easter Seals, etc.), follow the bus
•	Personal invitation

Create an Inviting Space
•	Comfortable seating in a circle
•	Comfortable lighting
•	Sign in sheet and name tags
•	Allow adequate time (90 minutes)
•	Provide tissues
•	Light refreshments (optional)

Suggested Structure
•	Open in prayer
•	Invite participants to introduce themselves and share updates about the past week
•	Introduce topic and work through discussion questions
•	Gather prayer concerns
•	Closing prayer

Sustaining the Group
•	Maintain regular contact
•	Use social media
•	Encourage connections outside of meetings
•	Add periodic outings and fun events
•	Follow up when a person stops attending

Challenges Along 
the Way
•	Finding a day and time that works
•	Low turn out
•	No shows and child care workers
•	Challenging personalities 
		o Parent with “all the answers”
		o “Kamikaze” parent
		o Overly negative parent
		o Parent with an agenda

Practical Strategies for Providing  
Special Needs Parent Support Groups
Rev. Dr. Lorna Bradley
Fellow, Hope and Healing Institute, Houston, Texas

Email: lbradley@hopeandhealingcenter.org
Website: SpecialNeedsParenting.me